


i think i wanna marry you

by CuboneGirl13



Series: bloom [2]
Category: Bandstand - Oberacker/Oberacker & Taylor
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Marriage Proposal, Sick Character, Sickfic, Vomit Mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:48:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24437689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CuboneGirl13/pseuds/CuboneGirl13
Summary: Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breath out. Breathe in…in which Johnny's plans go completely and utterly awry... but it all works out anyway
Relationships: Johnny Simpson/Julia Trojan
Series: bloom [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1610005
Kudos: 5





	i think i wanna marry you

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from "Marry You" by Bruno Mars, but let's be honest, it's a pretty generic lyric lol
> 
> The last third of this fic was mostly written between the hours of 3 and 6 am, in all honesty, so I might hate this later. We'll see!

_Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breath out. Breathe in…_ Davy always joked that Johnny would forget to breathe if he didn't write it down, but he wasn't _that_ bad- well, not usually. Right now, though, just breathing was taking all his focus. _You got this. Just_ breathe _, for the love of God._

He felt the small box in his pocket, a weight against his thigh. _That_ was what was making it so damn hard to breathe, that _stupid_ ring. Jimmy was an absolute _angel_ and helped him pick it out, so he wasn't too afraid Julia wouldn't like it. No, the scary part was the thought that she might say no. It was just four little words, five syllables, fourteen letters, but they were the most terrifying four words he could ever say. He had it all planned out- he’d take her to dinner at her favorite restaurant, they’d get dessert- they _never_ get dessert, Julia always says it’s not worth it when she can just bake something. They’d go for a walk, end up in the park, and then he’d ask the most amazing woman he’d ever met to be his wife. No pressure. Nope. None at all. Only… there was a wrench in the plan.

“What do you _mean_ she’s sick?” Johnny asked in disbelief. There was no way he heard Mrs. Adams right, she must have said something else. “You _can’t_ be serious.”  
  


“I’m sorry, Johnny, she’s been throwing up all d- Julia, what are you- it’s _fine_ , I’m sure he’s heard worse!” He had to pull the mouthpiece away for a second to laugh- even sick as a dog, Julia just _had_ to argue. “Johnny, Julia wants to talk to you,” Mrs. Adams said suddenly, drawing his attention. “If you lose her all of a sudden, she-”

“ _Mother!_ Don’t tell him _that_!” Julia exclaimed, seemingly snatching away the mouthpiece. “Johnny?”

“Hey, Jules. Not feeling good?” he asked. “Wait, no, _well._ ”

“Not really… It’s just a bug, I’m sure. No need to worry,” she said. Despite her assurance, Johnny _was_ a little worried. Julia didn’t get sick often and even when she wasn’t feeling well, she almost always pushed through. It wasn’t like her to cancel plans… Then again, if she was throwing up, she really couldn’t just deal with it, could she?

“Do you want me to come over? I can make soup or something. I’m pretty good at soup.”

“I know, Johnny, you’ve cooked for me before. You _are_ pretty good at soup,” Julia laughed. “You don’t have to, I’ll be fine. I promise. I’m sorry I have to cancel tonight, though. We’ll just have to reschedule, I guess. No big deal, right?”

"Yeah… No big deal…” He trailed off, holding the jewelry box in his pocket. Shit.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, sounding concerned.

Johnny wasn’t sure how to answer, because _yes_ , something was _very_ wrong, but _she_ couldn’t know that. “Not- not really, no,” he said hesitantly.

“Do you _want_ to come over? I don’t know why you would, I wouldn’t be very good company right now.”

“Yeah! Yeah, I do,” he answered quickly. “I… I’d feel better if I could see you. See for myself that you’re okay.” _Nice save._

“Johnny, I’m _sick._ I could be contagious, and _you_ don’t need to be getting sick,” Julia argued. “I’m _fine._ Just a little bug. I’ll get over it soon enough, I’m sure.”

“I’ll be fine, Jules, I’ve been through worse. Tell your ma I’ll be there soon, okay?" He left no room for her to argue, hanging up after he said that. Maybe his plans weren't totally ruined after all…

* * *

There wasn't much that was second nature to Johnny anymore. Shifting gears driving uphill. Mental arithmetic- and taking integrals, for some reason. And making chicken noodle soup. Before an hour was up, he had a bowl of soup waiting for Julia to be finished in the bathroom, thanks to Mrs. Adams' well-stocked fridge. The woman could barely cook and Julia wasn't a whole lot better, but he'd be damned if she didn't have enough in her kitchen to feed an army- hell, she practically _did_ once a week, with how much food he and the rest of the band could put away.

"Sorry about that," Julia said, her voice weak. Johnny didn't like to say this, especially not about Julia, but she looked like _shit_.

"You weren't too long, I still remember why I'm here," he joked. Johnny had no problem with joking about his own memory, that was fine. It was _other_ people he had a problem with. "Soup's probably cooled down enough to eat, if you feel up to it." He pulled a chair out for her, wrapping his arms around her once she sat, his chin resting on top of her head. She wouldn't hug him when he got here, so dammit, he was getting his hug _now_.

"You shouldn't be touching me. I really don't want to get you sick…" Despite her protests, Julia leaned back against him, relaxing in his arms. Even if she _was_ sick, it was still nice, getting to hold her.

Johnny let go so she could eat, cleaning up his mess and putting away leftovers. He was filling the sink for the dishes when he felt arms around his waist and a head against his back. "Either Mrs. Adams is getting _real_ friendly or you're done eating," he teased, laying his hands on top of Julia's. “What happened to not wanting to touch me?”

"If my mother ever holds you like this, I might actually kill her. And I changed my mind. I need a hug."

"So I guess now isn't the time to tell you about all those times I stayed over without you?" He turned the faucet off and turned around in Julia's arms, pushing her bangs off her forehead. There was a little color in her cheeks now that she actually had food in her stomach, which made him feel a little better.

Julia made a face at him, gently smacking his side. "That is an _awful_ joke to make towards your sick girlfriend and I _hate_ you," she declared. Such drama was more than a little comical coming from her right then, standing there in her pajamas and dressing gown. "How _dare_ you?"

He leaned down to kiss her forehead, straightening with a slight grimace. "That's a lie, you love me," Johnny laughed.

"...about that last part. I've been thinking about us. A lot."

Oh no. Johnny's heart dropped. "Don't you?" Was she about to break up with him? She was _definitely_ about to break up with him.

She nodded, pulling herself even closer to him. "I do. Which is why…" Julia trailed off, dropping her gaze to his shirt. "I think- no. I _know_ I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Wait, _what?_ "You have _got_ to be kidding me."

"What? Why?" Julia asked, letting go of him. "What's wrong with that?"

"Did your mom say something? Or Jimmy?" Who else had he told? He didn't _think_ he told anyone else- he _definitely_ didn't tell Davy, that man couldn't keep a secret, not something like this.

"Say something? What do you mean?" Julia looked almost angry now. _Crap_. Since she'd backed off, Johnny fished the ring box out of his pocket, holding onto it for dear life.

"I- I mean-" Johnny was just at a loss for words. What the hell was he supposed to say? He didn't have a _clue_ , so he just… held out the box.

"What's this?" He just nodded towards his outstretched hand. Julia hesitantly took the box, her eyes growing wide. "Is- is this-"

"Just open it," he said, his gaze going between the box and her face. Julia's face absolutely lit up as she opened it, a mix of joy and confusion. "I- I was already planning on… Yeah. On that."

Julia was speechless for a long moment. Did she not like the ring? Did she change her mind? What the hell was going on in her head?

"Do I still have to say 'yes' when I'm the one who proposed first?" she finally asked. "Because yes. One hundred percent _yes_." She threw her arms around him once again, burying her face in his chest.

Johnny couldn't keep the grin off his face as he hugged her right back, burying his face in her hair, even if it _was_ a bit sweaty. "I say yes too," Johnny laughed. When she pulled away, he grabbed the ring and her left hand, slipping the ring on. He couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief when it actually _fit_ , thank _God_ , right where her ring from Michael sat until recently.

It looked like Julia was about to say something- but instead, she bolted out the room. He was confused until he heard a door slam- oh yeah. Stomach bug. The whole reason they were here instead of the Silver Grille. He waited patiently for her to return, drumming his fingers on the counter and staring at the clock. Johnny perked up when he heard the bathroom door open- well, he assumed it was the bathroom door. And then Mrs. Adams poked her head in. “You leave any soup for me?"

"In the fridge," he answered, a bit disappointed, but hopefully not visibly.

"Wait. Did you _propose?"_ Mrs. Adams asked, pointing to the now empty ring box on the counter. " _Now?_ "

"Hey, Julia asked first!" Wait, that didn't sound much better.

She raised an eyebrow at that, shutting the fridge. "Julia asked you to marry her. Why am I not even surprised?"

Johnny shrugged, a hint of a smile on his face. “Hey, that’s your daughter. I take no responsibility for her actions,” he said. He straightened up when he once again heard a door open- it _had_ to be Julia this time, he and her mom were the only other people in the house!

“Sorry, Joh- oh, Mom! We have news!” Julia hurried over to her mother, holding out her left hand. Johnny was _definitely_ smiling now, seeing the way his _fiancee’s_ face just lit up.

“Oh, I noticed,” Mrs. Adams teased, pointing again to the ring box. “Really? You couldn’t just wait for him to ask?”

“It’s not like I _knew_ ,” Julia said, giving her mother a look. “Wait a second, did _you_ know?” She turned to look at Johnny, one eyebrow raised. Okay, she looked _just_ like her mom when she did that, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

“I… I asked her permission. Should I not have?” It felt like Julia was staring straight through to his soul and she didn’t like what she saw… Or maybe he was just being a little overdramatic, that was entirely possible. He almost breathed a sigh of relief when Julia came over and laid her head on his shoulder.

“That’s sweet of you. Did anyone else know?” Julia asked.

Johnny thought for a second. “Just Jimmy. He helped me pick out the ring. I couldn’t remember what size you wear, and he was scared I’d choose somethin’ ugly.” He grinned down at her at the last part. After that suit he wore to New York the first time, she always made fun of his fashion sense- or in _her_ opinion, his lack thereof. _He_ thought he was good at choosing clothes, thank you very much! “Didn’t need his permission, though. Hell, I didn’t need your mom’s- no offense, Mrs. Adams,” he added, glancing up at the other woman. “I just thought I should. I mean, it’s traditional to ask the parents, right?”

“Usually just the father, but sure,” Mrs. Adams said with a shrug. “He’s not worth asking anyways, he’s an ass.”

“ _Mother-”_

_“What?_ It’s not like Johnny doesn’t already _know_ -”

“ _ **Mother**!_”

“Fine, fine…” Mrs. Adams held her hands up in a show of defeat, feigning disappointment. “Guess I should leave you two lovebirds alone, huh? Give you some _quality time_?” She waggled her eyebrows at the two of them, making Johnny’s cheeks grow warm.

“Mother, _stop,_ ” Julia whined, glaring over at her. “I don’t like what you’re implying.”

“It’s a joke, Julia, don’t get your panties in a wad- _yes_ , I just said _panties_ in front of a _man_ , how scandalous!” She shot her daughter a look- the same one Julia gave her earlier- as she walked out the kitchen. Those two had the most identical expressions, Johnny swore.

Julia threw an arm around his waist with a groan, burying her face in his shoulder. “Why is she like this?” she grumbled. “Why can’t my mother be _normal_?”

“I like your mom. She’s funny.” Johnny shut up as she shot _him_ a look. What was with all these _looks_? “Shouldn't you be going to bed?

“Probably… Thank you for the soup, sweetheart,” Julia said, reluctantly letting go of him. “You should probably go.”

“Before your mom embarrasses you anymore?” he teased. Johnny could barely keep a straight face as she hit his arm, a grin on _her_ face. “Call me tomorrow? Even- no, _especially_ if you aren’t feeling any better.”

Julia nodded, reaching out to take his hand. “Of course. Be careful?”

Johnny stepped closer so he could kiss the back of her hand, squeezing it gently before he dropped it. “Of course. Always am. You know, ever since my Jeep-”

“Flipped three times, I know, John. I’d rather you not flip your truck too.”

“Love you, Jules,” he said, grabbing his keys. “Call me in the morning. Or before, if you want.”

“Love you too, John.”

So maybe Johnny’s plans didn’t happen, but hey. He didn’t mind the way things turned out, even if it wasn’t as romantic as he had hoped. There was a ring on Julia’s finger, that was the important part- well, okay, what the ring _symbolized_ was the important part, but that was just being nitpicky, and he’d much rather leave the nitpicking to Julia.


End file.
